


Human

by princemito



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/M, First Dates, Gen, M/M, Public Display of Affection, Queerplatonic Relationships, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-13
Updated: 2015-10-13
Packaged: 2018-04-26 04:19:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4989982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princemito/pseuds/princemito
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Yamaguchi announces that he and Tsukishima are dating, Kageyama takes it as a challenge to his and Hinata's already-existing (but secret) relationship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Human

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally supposed to be equal parts KageHina and TsukiYama but there's actually not a whole lot of TsukiYama so don't go expecting much...

Yamaguchi excitedly gathered the rest of the team together after practice. Despite the grueling work he’d put into it, he seemed like a bundle of energy. He bounced up and down on the balls of his feet.

“We have an announcement,” he said when everyone was gathered. Tsukishima stood next to him, staring at the clock on the wall. “Me and Tsukki are dating.” The shorter first-year smiled wide, the blush obscuring the freckles on his cheeks.

Some of their teammates cheered, some just plain didn’t care. Tanaka yelled, “It’s about damn time!” and patted his two underclassmen on the back.

Tsukishima grumbled something, and lowered his eyes from the clock. They landed on Kageyama, whose dark eyes shot right through him. Hinata was saying something to him, but Tsukishima couldn’t hear over the squeaking shoes as everyone else left. He held his gaze for a while longer, a smirk forming. Kageyama’s glare deepened and he turned fully away, dragging Hinata with him as he left the gym.

Yamaguchi took Tsukishima’s hand and smiled up at him. He returned the smile. “I told you it would be fine to tell them,” Yamaguchi said.

When they walked out of the gym, their captain was waiting for them with his arms crossed over his chest. Yamaguchi couldn’t help but hide behind his taller and more intimidating boyfriend, who stared down his nose at the third-year, unwavering.

“It’s never a good idea for teammates to date,” Daichi informed them.

Tsukishima raised an eyebrow. “It won’t be a problem,” he said.

“A-and besides, Sawamura,” Yamaguchi stuttered, “It’ll make me work harder, s-so I can play on the same court. As Tsukki.” The shadows on his face hid the blush he could feel burning brightly. 

The captain didn’t seem to be interested in Yamaguchi; his eyes remained locked with Tsukishima’s. “This team is like a brotherhood,” Daichi said. “Once you step foot into that gym, or into our uniform, you are brothers. Leave every other relationship you might have out here.” The lights from the covered walkway shone down and intensified the joke-free gleam in their captain’s eye. 

A shiver ran up Yamaguchi’s spine and he straightened up. “Yes, sir!” he said.

The taller first-year said nothing.

Daichi’s eyes lightened as he said, “Now that that’s been said… Congratulations.” He smiled and patted the first-years on the shoulders. Yamaguchi remained rigid and Tsukishima sort of shrugged it off. 

“Th-thank you!” Yamaguchi said.

Tsukishima began to walk off, offering an “Excuse us” as he went. Yamaguchi trailed after him, asking him to slow down.

\--

Everyone else had entered the club room to get changed and gather their things, but Kageyama remained outside, pacing back and forth along the walkway. The door opened and Hinata stuck his head out into the evening air.

“Oy, Kageyama!” he called. “Hurry up and get changed or you’re gonna get locked out!”

Kageyama turned around and punched the wall. He turned his head, fist still against the paneling, and glared at Hinata. He said nothing.

The small first year knitted his brow. Something was bothering Kageyama. Hinata wracked his brain for anything that had happened during practice that could have upset him, but there was nothing. All of his tosses were perfect. Hinata had even gotten some spikes past Noya. Practice had ended on a pretty high note with the entire team exhausted but happy with their progress.

Hinata stepped out onto the porch, dressed in his uniform and ready for his bike ride home. He closed the door behind him and walked over to Kageyama, who still hadn’t moved. He reached out and took Kageyama’s hand, coaxing it away from the wall. His knuckles were red but he wasn’t bleeding. “You need to take care of this,” Hinata said, his voice soft. He looked up into Kageyama’s eyes, causing the setter’s features to soften slightly. Hinata raised the red knuckles to his lips and kissed them softly. “Tobio,” he said. “What’s wrong?”

Kageyama saw that look in Hinata’s eyes that he hated, he hated but he loved. That look that was so soft and so caring that it made Kageyama feel like he was safe. It was a look that he hadn’t yet learned to trust, but it was that look that he had fallen in love with. He could feel himself falling in love all over again, and he hated it.

“Tobio?” Hinata had sensed the change.

Kageyama turned his head away in an attempt to hide the redness of his cheeks. It wasn’t just his face, though; Kageyama was burning up all over. He pulled his hand away from Hinata, and before the redhead could say anything else, Kageyama pinned him to the wall. He stared down at him for a moment, his face red and still residually angry. Hinata stared up at him, surprised. That stupid look was still in his eyes, though, and Kageyama thirsted for it.

Their lips met and Hinata wrapped his arms around Kageyama’s waist, pulling him closer. Kageyama’s hand was beginning to ache, but it didn’t stop him from lacing his fingers into Hinata’s hair, holding his head firmly in place. They stayed together for a long moment, tongues tracing lips and hands grasping for better and more secure holds.

When they pulled away from each other, Kageyama was breathing heavily. His face was still red but his eyes had softened.

Hinata smiled, his own face flushed, and strained to plant a kiss on Kageyama’s cheek. “You wanna tell me what’s up?” he asked.

A fire sparked behind Kageyama’s eyes and he said, “That damn four-eyes is trying to one-up us.”

Hinata tried to hold back a laugh, but failed. Kageyama’s glare was then directed at him. “Is that what that is about?” he asked, trying to calm his laughter. Tears were beginning to form in his eyes. “I mean, I thought it was weird for you to be like this here. You’re usually so careful. But you’re just jealous?”

Kageyama grabbed Hinata by the shoulders and shook him. “He’s obviously mocking us!” he said. “Trying to say he’s better than us!”

Hinata tried to calm his raging boyfriend, and said, “Tobio, no one even knows about us. You made certain of that... How could he be trying to one-up us?”

“He knows,” Kageyama said. “I don’t know how he knows, but he knows. He’s challenging us.”

“You’re imagining things.” Hinata still hadn’t managed to contain his laughter. Kageyama was being ridiculous.

The club room door opened again and their teammates began to file out. Kageyama practically jumped away from Hinata before anyone got any ideas. Hinata still couldn’t stop laughing.

Daichi was the last one to leave the room. He tossed the keys to Kageyama. “Lock up when you’re done,” he said. “And you’d better get to morning practice before I do to open up again.”

Kageyama nodded. When the rest of the team was gone, Kageyama entered the club room to change and get his things. Hinata followed.

The little spiker sat on one of the benches to wait. He watched closely as Kageyama removed his sweaty shirt. Before putting his uniform shirt on, he sat down to untie his shoes, facing away from Hinata. Hinata watched the muscles in his back move as he leaned forward, in awe of the power they created.

Kageyama must have felt Hinata’s eyes on him and he glanced over his shoulder. “What?” he snapped.

Hinata averted his eyes with a shy grin. “You’ve been working out outside of practice, haven’t you?” Hinata asked. 

“So?” Kageyama pulled off his kneepads.

“You’re so cool, Tobio,” he said. “Way cooler than Tsukishima. You don’t need to be threatened by him!”

With his shoes off, Kageyama stood up, his back still to Hinata. 

“Don’t let him get to you,” the small first-year said. He was suddenly right behind Kageyama, which startled him. He often forgot that Hinata’s speed wasn’t just on the court. Hinata wrapped his arms around Kageyama and leaned his head against his bare back. Kageyama put a gentle hand onto Hinata’s. He treasured the warmth of Hinata so near to him for a few moments, then pulled himself free.

Without a word, Kageyama reached into his locker and extracted his uniform shirt. He put it on without looking at Hinata, who went back to sit on the bench.

The room was quiet as his finished changing. Once he was dressed, he grabbed his bag and turned to Hinata.

“You should get home and get to bed,” Hinata said as he stood up and grabbed his own bag. “You’ve gotta get up early if you want to beat the captain here.”

Kageyama nodded and felt in his pocket to make sure he had the keys.

“I can meet you early if you want,” Hinata continued. “You can toss to me while we wait for everyone else.”

“Sure.”

Hinata followed Kageyama out of the club room and waited for him to lock the doors. They walked to the bike rack together to get Hinata’s bike, then down the hill from the school. They parted ways where a road turned off to go into the mountains.

The setter grabbed Hinata’s wrist as he climbed onto his bike. “Shouyou,” he said.

Hinata looked back at him and cocked his head to one side. “What is it, Tobio?”

There was a blush on Kageyama’s cheeks as he leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. “R…ride safe,” he said.

The little redhead beamed at him and nodded. “I will!” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Kageyama waved as he watched his boyfriend ride off up the mountain road.

\--

Practice the next morning was the same as usual, and Tsukishima was honestly relieved. He was half expecting Kageyama to do something ridiculous to try to get back at him. He wondered why Kageyama would need to get back at him, though. But he knew how Yamaguchi’s announcement the day before would get to him. He liked the fact that Kageyama was visibly annoyed by it. He had his suspicions about the “freak duo” being freaky more than just on the court, but Kageyama’s reaction definitely confirmed it. No one else would have noticed it, but Tsukishima did.

By the time he and Yamaguchi made it to the morning practice, it looked like Kageyama and Hinata had already been there for at least half an hour. The third years were getting things set up in the gym as most of the second years trickled in. Before entering the gym, Tsukishima was stopped by Yamaguchi pulling on his arm.

“Before we step in there and ‘become brothers’,” he said, smirking at his jab at the captain. He leaned in and kissed Tsukishima softly on the lips. “Practice hard today.”

Tsukishima smiled and pulled Yamaguchi in for another brief kiss. 

Yamaguchi squeezed his boyfriend’s hand as they took the final steps to the gym, but as soon as they crossed the threshold, he let go. Both boys wore their game faces.

\--

During their evening practice, Hinata couldn’t help but notice that Yachi seemed extra focused. She seemed intent on doing anything she could to help Shimizu out, but hardly talked to anyone else. He left Kageyama to sweep when practice was over and jogged across the gym to catch her before she left.

“Yachi-chan!” he called.

“A-ah, Shouyou!” She seemed flustered, but she was never flustered around Hinata. She couldn’t even look at him.

“Yachi, let’s study together tonight!” he said, taking her hands in his own and bouncing slightly. When Hinata said he wanted to study, it was more that he wanted to hang out with Yachi and maybe crash at her place and eat junk food.

She found the courage to look at him and she smiled. “I guess,” she said. 

The boy’s smile spread across his face and he jumped up into the air. “Awesome! Thanks, Yachi-chan! I’ll get changed quick and meet you at the bike racks!”

Yachi nodded. He was so excitable, and it made it hard for her to feel down about anything. 

In the end, Hinata made it to the bike racks before Yachi, despite the fact that he had to get changed and say goodbye to Kageyama and explain why he wasn’t going to walk home with him.

When Yachi walked up, Hinata was standing next to his bike and smiling. “Yacchan!” he said. “I thought you had left without me.”

“No! I just had to pick some things up! I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”

“That’s okay, Yachi-chan,” he said as they began to walk. “Let’s stop by the store and get some snacks. They help me study!”

The small girl couldn’t help but smile. “Shouyou, how much studying are you actually intending to do?”

“Hey!” he said defensively. “I’ve got a quiz tomorrow that I’m going to need your help with.”

“If you say so.”

\--

Despite his intent to study, as soon as they sat down on the floor of Yachi’s room, Hinata head found its way to the pillow of Yachi’s lap.

“Oy, Shouyou, you said you needed to study!” Yachi protested, though made no effort to move him.

Hinata reached up and poked her cheek. “Something’s bothering you,” he said, his face serious.

She blinked down at him with those soft brown eyes of hers and then looked away. “It’s nothing,” she said.

“Yacchan, you didn’t even look at anyone at practice today,” he said. He sat up and poked her in the cheek again, smiling, “You can tell me what’s up.” He folded his legs under himself and patted his lap, inviting her to lay her head there.

She obliged with a sigh, but faced away from him.

“Well?”

She inhaled deeply, then said, “I really thought that Yamaguchi-kun liked me…”

Hinata was startled.

“I mean, I thought maybe he did, but I wasn’t sure if I liked him, but now he’s with Tsukishima-san, and I don’t know why, but I’m really mad about it!” Her hands balled into fists and when she rolled onto her back and looked up at Hinata, he saw tears forming in her eyes. “I’m so stupid, Shouyou! I thought maybe he liked me, but he doesn’t… He… He likes boys…”

Hinata patted her arm then wiped the tears off her cheek. He had a soft smile on his face when he said, “It’s okay, Yacchan. Maybe he does like you. Just because he’s dating that big jerk now doesn’t mean he didn’t like you. Or won’t ever like you. Or…” Relationship advice was not Hinata’s forte. When Kageyama first confessed his feelings, Hinata ran to Yachi for help, though her only advice was either kill him or kiss him. 

“I need to transfer,” Yachi proclaimed. “I can’t stay at Karasuno. Shouyou, tell the team my mom had to move for work. Apologize for me. Tell them I’ll miss them all. Except Yamaguchi, don’t tell him anything.” She covered her face with her hands.

Hinata ran his hands through Yachi’s soft hair. He was glad there was someone who let him play with their hair, since Kageyama’s was too short and honestly not all that soft. Even when she was upset, Hinata thought she was cute. He almost felt bad thinking that. “You’re not moving,” he said. “The team needs you.”

“I can’t,” she said from behind her hands.

“Shimizu-senpai needs you.”

Yachi sat up suddenly. “Sh-Shimizu-senpai needs me!”

Hinata smiled. “But you like Yamaguchi, right?”

“But he…he’s gay, right?”

Hinata shrugged. “Maybe,” he said. “We should ask him!”

Yachi flailed her hands in front of her in protest. “No! We can’t just ask someone that!” 

“You’re probably right,” Hinata admitted. He flopped over onto the floor and rolled so his head was now in Yachi’s lap. “Kageyama thinks Tsukishima is challenging us,” he said.

“Eh?”

“He thinks that he knows, you know, about us, and is trying to one-up us or something.”

Yachi stared off across the room and Hinata couldn’t even begin to imagine what she was imagining. He played with a fold in her skirt while he waited for her to finish. “We cannot let them out-gay you!” she exclaimed.

From down the hall they heard, “Hitoka, is everything alright?”

Yachi lowered her voice. “What’s your plan?” she asked, leaning her face over Hinata’s.

“Plan?”

“He’s got the upper hand right now!” she squeaked. “You guys have to do something. Sawamura-senpai trusts Kageyama with the keys sometimes, right? We can set something up, and you and Kageyama can… In the gym, before practice…” The fire in her eyes burned brightly.

“Hey, hey,” Hinata said. “This isn’t a competition! Besides, we don’t even know if that stupid giant knows. How could he know?” He stared up at Yachi and she still had that fire in her eyes. “Does he know?” He began to feel panicked. “He knows, doesn’t he?”

“It doesn’t matter if he knows!” Yachi said. “You need to destroy them!”

“If he knows, and if Kageyama knows that he knows… He’s not gonna let this go… Yacchan, we need a plan!”

“I know!” Yachi said. “I’ve given you a plan. It’s a great plan!”

“Yachi, it’s an awful plan!” He sat up and scooted over to the table, where he pulled out a notebook. “We need a real plan.”

“Don’t you have a quiz tomorrow?” Yachi asked, joining him at the table. 

Hinata laid his head on the table. “I do,” he admitted. “But we need a plan first.”

The fire had left Yachi’s eyes as she pulled out her own notes. “Let’s get some studying done and then we can plan,” she said.

\--

Hinata ended up spending the night at Yachi’s house and sleeping through the morning practice. By the time he woke up Yachi was already dressed and ready to go.

“Yachi! I missed morning practice! We’ll never out-gay Tsukishima if I’m not at practice!” He looked down at his phone, which was dead. “Kageyama’s gonna kill me!”

“I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry,” Yachi said, bowing continuously as Hinata struggled to his feet and pulled on his crumpled uniform. “I tried to wake you up, but you just looked so cute and peaceful, so I tried to be loud when I was getting ready and make breakfast and my mom even slammed the door when she left but you weren’t waking up please forgive me.”

“It’s okay, Yacchan, it’s okay!”

“Then why are you still yelling?”

“I’m always yelling!”

They ran out of the house together and Hinata got Yachi to hop onto the back of his bike. He pedaled like his like his life depended on it, and when he made it to school tired and out of breath, he left Yachi at the bike stand and ran for the club room.

Luckily Kageyama was still there talking to the captain when Hinata burst in. “Please forgive me, Captain!” he said, throwing himself at Daichi’s feet.

Kageyama kicked him. “Where the hell were you, dumbass?” he growled.

“I’m so sorry! I was studying with Yachi last night and fell asleep there and overslept! I’m sorry!”

The captain pulled the groveling first-year to his feet and smiled at him. “Hey, it’s alright,” he said. “Just don’t miss again without letting us know. It’s a long morning ride for you and we thought something might’ve happened.”

Kageyama crossed his arms and glared at Hinata, who was wiping his face on his blazer sleeve. “Though you might’ve been dead in a ditch or something,” he said.

“Kageyama! You do care!” Hinata cried.

Daichi patted him firmly on both shoulders, and left the room.

Hinata noticed that Kageyama was still in his practice clothes. “Shouldn’t you get changed?” he asked once the captain had left.

“Yeah, I got back late from jogging,” he said.

The little spiker nudged him in the side and smiled. “Didn’t feel like practicing with everyone when I wasn’t there?” he asked.

The taller first-year punched his boyfriend in the shoulder. “No, dumbass,” he said. “I just ran longer.”

Hinata took a seat and watched him change. “I’m sorry I didn’t text you or anything,” he said. “I wasn’t expecting to spend the night at Yachi’s, but it got late and I just sorta forgot… By the time I woke up this morning, my phone was dead.” He held up his cell phone and flipped it open so Kageyama could see its black screen. “She has some good ideas for how we can get back at that four-eyed prick, though!” he said.

Kageyama turned quickly and glared. “You told her?”

“Of course I did!” Hinata said. “You know I talk to Yacchan about everything!”

Kageyama clenched his fists, which would have looked more intimidating if he hadn’t been standing there in his underwear.

Hinata jumped to his feet and was standing by Kageyama in an instant. He took Kageyama’s fists in his hands. “You know she’s not gonna say anything,” he said. “She’s too scared of you.” He smiled and stood on his tip-toes to kiss Kageyama on the cheek. 

“Don’t say shit like that,” Kageyama said, turning around to put his pants on.

“Ah, Tobio, do you actually have feelings?” Hinata smiled. “I’m sorry. And I’m sorry again for missing practice.”

Kageyama looked over his shoulder, his mouth turned up in the smallest of smiles.

Hinata beamed.

“You’ll just have to work extra hard tonight,” he said.

The little redhead raised his eyebrows. “T…tonight?”

“A-a-at practice!” Kageyama sputtered, his face turning red. “I meant at practice! Dumbass! Work extra hard at practice!”

Hinata laughed and hugged Kageyama, who was hiding his face in his jacket. “Of course I’ll try super hard,” Hinata said. “Super extra hard!” His smirk was practically audible, and Kageyama buried his face further into the jacket, letting out a deep groan. Hinata kissed the hands that clutched the jacket until Kageyama’s grip on it loosened and he lowered it. He was glaring at Hinata, his face still red, but when he saw Hinata’s smile, he couldn’t help but smile a bit, too.

“You’re such an idiot” Kageyama said, kissing Hinata’s face all over. “What—” Kiss. “—a—” Kiss. “—dumbass.” He wrapped his arms around Hinata’s waist, and leaned down to softly kiss his neck and burrow his face into his shoulder.

Hinata laughed. “Tobio!” he said, struggling, but not really, to get away. He kissed the side of his boyfriend’s head and nuzzled him. “We need to get to class!”

\--

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and Kageyama was just lying on his bed tossing a volleyball into the air. He had been expecting Hinata to text him or something, but his phone was quiet. He had homework to do, but he wasn’t in the mood for it. His mind was busy and he needed a distraction. Maybe he’d go for a run.

He just finished changing into his sweats when he heard a knock at the front door. He heard someone open it, but couldn’t hear who it was. His mom’s voice called, “Tobio, you’ve got a visitor!”

He walked out into the hallway and toward the front room. Hinata was there taking his shoes off. He thanked Mrs. Kageyama for letting him in and smiled at his boyfriend.

Without saying anything, Kageyama grabbed Hinata’s arm and pulled him into his bedroom, closing the door behind them. He turned and looked at Hinata, waiting for an explanation.

“So, remember how my phone died when I was at Yachi’s?” Hinata said with a bashful smile. “Well, it won’t turn back on, so I’m waiting to get a new one. That’s why I didn’t call or anything.”

Kageyama just stared at him.

Hinata eyed the taller boy’s outfit. “Were you going to go running?” Hinata asked. “Sorry! If I had known I would have brought some sweats, too!”

“You can borrow some,” Kageyama said.

“Won’t they be too big?”

Kageyama went over to his dresser and rummaged around until he got to the bottom of one drawer. What he pulled out he tossed to Hinata.

“Oy, Tobio!” he said. “These are you middle school gym clothes!” He held up it Kitagawa Daiichi t-shirt.

“They won’t be too big,” Kageyama said.

Hinata pursed his lips but began to change. As he did so, he said, “I thought maybe we could get dinner or something. Like a real date.”

Kageyama leaned on his dresser and looked thoughtful, a light blush gracing his cheeks. “Real… date?” he repeated as if he was trying to figure out just what it meant.

“Yeah!” Hinata said, a huge smile on his face. “I mean, I like playing volleyball with you and I like kissing you and being near you and… And I think we should have a real date.”

The two of them had been “dating” for nearly two months, and Kageyama was really happy. He hadn’t even thought about their time together as not being “real dates”. Most of the time, when they were together they were around other people, or sneaking quick kisses when no one was around, or playing volleyball. Kageyama liked all of that, too.

He pulled the shirt over his head and was beginning to take Kageyama’s silence as a bad thing. “But if you don’t want to, you can toss to me some before I go home.”

“No!” Kageyama said, a bit too loud. “No,” he said again, quieter. “We can go get dinner.”

The redhead smiled and leaped into the air. “Good!” he said. “Where are we gonna run to?”

\--

Their run lasted for about an hour before they returned to Kageyama’s house. It was still a bit too early for dinner so they decided to go inside and cool off for a bit before heading out. Kageyama’s mom got them some juice and let them retire to his room, where they sat down on the floor and leaned against the bed.

Hinata sipped on the juice and said, “We still don’t know what we’re gonna do about Tsukishima.”

At the mention of his name, Kageyama clenched his glass tighter in his hand. “What about Yachi’s ideas?” he asked.

“I thought about them and they’re probably not actually that great,” Hinata said. “Maybe we should just ignore him, though.”

“We can’t just ignore him!” Kageyama yelled. “He challenged us! Every practice they come in and he has this stupid look on his face, this smirk, this knowing gleam in his eye.”

“Tobio, he’s just trying to get to you,” Hinata said. “And it’s working. Besides, Yamaguchi is working harder in practices!”

“I don’t care!” Kageyama said, slamming his glass on the floor, splashing the juice onto the carpet.

Hinata put a hand on Kageyama’s and noticed he was shaking. “Tobio…”

The dark-haired boy pulled his hand away.

“Tobio.” Hinata moved himself so that he was sitting in front of Kageyama, his eyes fierce. “You’re letting him get to you. You’re better than this.”

Kageyama looked away, his face hidden in shadow. He didn’t say anything.

“Why is this bothering you so much?” Hinata demanded, putting his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders. “He’s just being a huge jerk. He’s trying to throw you off. You can’t let this get to you! Why is it getting to you so bad?”

“B-because I’m in love with you, dumbass,” he said quietly, still not looking at Hinata.

Hinata released his shoulders and sat back. He knew that Kageyama liked him, they were dating, after all. But that was the first time that _love_ had ever come up. “T…Tobio…?”

“I’m in love with you, and I’m too much of a coward to let anyone know…” A tear slipped down his cheek and Hinata reached out to wipe it away. Kageyama nuzzled his face into Hinata’s hand. 

“Tobio,” he said, coaxing Kageyama to lift his face up and look at him. When he did, Kageyama saw that glow in his eyes. “Tobio, I… I love you, too,” he said. “And I’m ready to yell it from the top of a mountain, whenever you want me to.”

“You can’t do that!” Kageyama said.

Kageyama’s ball of sunshine smiled. “If I do it too soon, it’ll look like we’re copying them,” Hinata said.

The setter nodded in agreement.

“So we just need to ignore them, right?”

He nodded again, and Hinata leaned in and kissed him.

“I love you, Tobio,” he said.

He still got butterflies when Hinata said his name, but these butterflies were out of control. “I-I-I…” he stuttered. “I love you, too, Shouyou.”

\--

For dinner, Hinata stole Kageyama’s phone to look up curry places nearby.

“I live here, dumbass!” Kageyama protested. “I know what’s here! I know what’s good!”

“But you’ll just take me to your favorite place and I want to take you somewhere else. What about this place?” He held Kageyama’s phone up to him to see what place he picked out.

“Do you even look at the reviews?” Kageyama demanded.

The reviews were awful. Hinata found another one and held the phone up again. “What about this one?”

Kageyama shrugged. “It’s okay.”

“But not your favorite?”

“No.”

“What about this one?” He held up the phone again.

“Okay.”

“Is it your favorite?”

“No.”

They did this a few more times before Kageyama grabbed his phone out of Hinata’s hand. He scrolled to a restaurant a few miles away and handed it back.

“We could’ve been halfway there by now if you had just let me pick, idiot,” he grumbled.

“It’s so far!” Hinata said.

“But it’s the best curry place in town!”

“I guess we can walk,” Hinata said. A sly smile crept over his face and he added, “Unless you want to want to ride on the back of my bike.”

“I’m not riding on the back of your bike!” Kageyama protested.

“Well, do you have your own bike?” Hinata asked. “We could ride together and get there pretty quickly!”

Kageyama shook his head. “We can just walk, it’s really not that far,” he said.

“Okay, let’s go, then!”

Hinata jumped off the bed where they had been sitting and headed for the door. Kageyama grabbed him before he made it. “What is it, Tobio?” he asked, confused. 

Kageyama looked down at the Kitagawa Daiichi shirt and gym shorts he was still wearing. “We should change first,” he said.

“O-oh! Yeah!” He laughed. “Let me help you,” he said, grabbing the hem of Kageyama’s t-shirt. The taller boy blushed but didn’t resist as Hinata pulled it up over his head. Before taking it all the way off, he snuck a kiss on Kageyama’s sternum. He jumped, startled, and wiggled the rest of the way out of the shirt. When his face emerged, it was red. Hinata smiled innocently. Kageyama reached down and grabbed the bottom of Hinata’s shirt, pulling it over his head. Once they were both shirtless, Kageyama pulled Hinata toward him and kissed him. He kissed him hard. 

They stumbled backwards to the bed and Kageyama plopped down, pulling his boyfriend with him. Their faces banged together, but that didn’t stop them. Kageyama’s hands found the small of Hinata’s back and pulled him closer while the redhead straddled his lap and ran his fingers through his dark hair. 

Hinata’s hands slid down until the held Kageyama’s head along his jawline. He pulled Kageyama’s lips closer to his and wrapped his arms around his neck. Kageyama moved his hands to Hinata’s sides and slowly pulled away. Hinata’s hands moved down and rested on Kageyama’s chest. He smiled, his face red, and Kageyama smiled back. 

Kageyama leaned forward and kissed Hinata’s collarbone. The smaller boy shuddered. He rested his chin on his shoulder for a minute, just holding him.

Hinata’s fingers traced patterns on Kageyama’s back. “Oy, Tobio,” he said. “We… we should probably actually go eat at some point…” Kageyama shifted underneath him. “It doesn’t have to be quite yet, though!” Without saying a word, Kageyama fell over sideways onto the bed, Hinata falling with him. They readjusted themselves to get more comfortable and Kageyama propped himself up on and elbow, his face serious. Hinata curled up and nuzzled his head into Kageyama’s bare chest. Kageyama trailed his fingers along Hinata’s arm. “Your body’s so nice Tobio,” Hinata said with a sigh.

“You’re too scrawny,” Kageyama said, pinching Hinata’s arm.

“Hey!” Hinata swatted his hand away. He looked up to glare at him, and Kageyama was smiling. “You can’t say mean things then go and smile like that,” he protested through puffed-up cheeks.

They laid there like that for a few more minutes, then Hinata would have sworn he heard Kageyama’s stomach growl. “We should probably go actually get dinner,” he said, rolling over and standing up.

Kageyama sat up and stretched, but he couldn’t refuse. He grabbed a shirt off the end of his bed and threw it on. Hinata changed back into what he was wearing when he arrived. When they were dressed, Kageyama led the way out into the hallway.

Mrs. Kageyama was in the kitchen when they walked past. “Oh, Tobio, are you going out?” she asked.

Kageyama nodded in response.

“Okay, don’t stay out too late!”

They put their shoes on at the front door and walked outside.

“Your mom’s so nice,” Hinata said when they reached the sidewalk.

Kageyama nodded.

Hinata walked closer to his boyfriend and hesitantly reached out and took his hand.

“Wha—” Kageyama’s gut reaction was to pull away, and for a moment, Hinata almost did, too. Kageyama squeezed Hinata’s hand as they walked. He mumbled something that Hinata didn’t catch.

“What was that, Tobio?”

“I love you, Shouyou,” Kageyama said again, not able to look at Hinata.

The redhead smiled and leaned against his shoulder as they walked.

\--

[I don’t know shit about how Japanese restaurants work. Forgive me. -mito]

By the time they made it to the restaurant, they were both starving. Luckily it was after their busiest time, so they had no problem getting a table.

Hinata looked around in awe, not expecting Kageyama’s favorite curry place to be so fancy. “Do you come here by yourself, Tobio?” he asked, admiring the lamp hanging over the table.

“Sometimes.”

“This doesn’t really look like somewhere you’d come by yourself! Whoa, the menu’s so fancy!”

“What kinds of restaurants do you even eat at?” Kageyama demanded. “And be quiet, you’re going to cause a scene.”

A waiter came over. He smiled at Kageyama and said, “Ah, Kageyama-san, welcome back.”

Hinata stared at his boyfriend and there were stars in his eyes. “They even know your name!” he said.

“Will you be getting you usual tonight?”

“Yes, please,” Kageyama said, ignoring Hinata as he freaked out over the fact that Kageyama had a “usual”. “Shouyou, do you know what you want?”

Hinata hadn’t even opened the fancy menu yet. “I’ll have what he’s having!” he declared.

The waiter nodded and excused himself.

“You don’t even know what I get, dumbass.”

“Sorry, Tobio,” he said, hanging his head. “I panicked. This place is so cool. And you’re so cool! They know your name and your order! You must really come here a lot!”

Kageyama shrugged. “Only once a week,” he said.

“Once a week!” Hinata repeated. 

Hinata continued to look around the restaurant, pointing out things that he thought were cool—pretty much everything. Kageyama watched him and agreed with how cool some of the things were. He liked seeing Hinata happy, and this place apparently made him happy. His mom had brought him here once when he was in middle school, and he really liked the food but hadn’t really thought much about the restaurant itself. The food made him happy, but from now on, the restaurant would make him happy, too.

“Tobio, what’s that smile for?” Hinata asked suddenly. He reached across the table and gently touched his boyfriend’s cheek.

Kageyama hadn’t even realized he was smiling. He blushed at Hinata’s touch but the smile remained. “I’m happy,” he said.

The light that shone from Hinata could have been enough to illuminate an entire room, like a tiny sun. “I’m happy, too!” he said.

But their happiness was destined to end, and when the little sun’s light became eclipsed, a shiver ran down Kageyama’s spine. He looked around the room to see what caused the chill, and there it was walking into the restaurant.

They stepped into the dining room, following one of the restaurant employees to a table. Kageyama turned his head quickly, hoping they didn’t see him. He pressed himself as far into the booth as he could.

Hinata noticed the change. “What’s wrong, Tobio?” he asked, looking around the restaurant.

“Keep your head down, dumbass!” he said in a hushed voice, as if they could hear him from the other side of the restaurant.

The redhead suddenly saw what his boyfriend had seen and froze.

But what Kageyama had seen had also seen him and was making his way over.

Tsukishima laid a hand on the edge of the booth. “Yo.” He had that knowing smirk on his face.

Hinata couldn’t move. “Ts-ts-tsukishima!” he said.

Yamaguchi appeared at Tsukishima’s elbow, a mischievous grin on his face. “Looks like it’s not just date night for us, huh, Tsukki?”

Kageyama glared at them from the booth. “We went jogging,” he said, trying to control his temper. Heat was rising in his face.

Tsukishima raised his eyebrows. “Ah, practicing even on our day off. How diligent.”

The freckled first-year slid an arm around his boyfriend’s waist. “We’ve got better things to do with our time,” he said.

Hinata slammed his hands on the table, and not only was Kageyama startled, but so was every other guest in the dining room. “Are you saying volleyball isn’t important?” he asked, his voice eerily quiet. “Yamaguchi, do you… not _want_ to get stronger?” He looked up at Yamaguchi, his head tilted slightly to one side. 

Yamaguchi’s hand clutched the fabric of Tsukishima’s shirt. “I _am_ getting stronger!” he said, his voice cracking.

“Tadashi.”

He looked up at his boyfriend.

Tsukishima was steadily meeting Hinata’s gaze. “Tadashi is working harder than anyone recognizes,” he said.

“Tsukki…”

“He puts in hours of extra practice every week,” he continued. “But he also knows his limits and when to take a break. He understands that he’s human.” Without giving them a chance to reply, Tsukishima put his arm around Yamaguchi’s shoulders and they turned to leave.

Kageyama caught Tsukishima’s free arm and pulled him back.

“What?” the blond boy said.

“We’re human, too,” Kageyama said, shaking. “We’re not just…volleyball machines.” That sounded less lame in his head. “Hinata and I work to better ourselves and each other,” he said. “And our team!”

“Then what are you doing here?” Tsukishima asked, baiting.

“Being human.” Kageyama reached across the table and grabbed Hinata by the collar of his shirt. He leaned over and pulled him in and kissed him. Hinata wrapped his arms around Kageyama’s neck and kissed back. When they finally broke away from each other, the other couple was gone.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! This was a lot of fun to write and I hope you all enjoyed! These are characters I don't write a whole lot and Kageyama was probably my favorite tbh I feel like I have so much more to say but I really don't, so thanks again!


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